


The Bird That Couldn't Fly

by VioletNuisance (orphan_account)



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Genre: ALL THE ANGST, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Angst, Anorexia, Depression, Eating Disorders, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, M/M, Self-Hatred, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Some Fluff, Suicidal Tendencies, almost non con, but it isnt, depressed ghira, i might see a lil, jk where the fluff at tho, selfharm
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-06
Updated: 2017-03-05
Packaged: 2018-09-06 19:25:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8765911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/VioletNuisance
Summary: No one has strived harder for perfection than Ghirahim.And he won't let a mere boy clad in green ruin that. In which Ghirahim gets entangled in his own red thread of fate.





	1. Prologue

His existence was solely created for one purpose.  
Destruction.  
As long as he could remember, a blade had always been pressed reassuringly into his palm. His fingers knew every small groove of any hilt. He had far surpassed older demons in skill, and he served as the Master's successor.  
But in nights like these, he didn't want to worry about where to slash so it'd be a critical hit. Sometimes, he just needed a night to cope.  
His muscles loosened as his legs spread apart, and he arched his body to lay parallel with the floor. His fingers impatiently drummed on the stone floor as he tried to pull himself more, surpass his body's limits.  Feeling contented after several rough minutes, he pulled himself back up into a sitting position before standing tall.  
Even now, with his soles pressed into the ground and heels touching, his legs never met. His shoulder blades were rather prominent though his tight, white shirt, and his ribs surely poked out too far to be healthy.   
Most of the demons whispered in the hallways, shooting him glances out of the corners of their eyes, calling him sick.  
He called himself (almost) perfect.  
All of this had started out as a little game, something that he could control, not the Master. It felt nice having power and being able to brandish it as he pleased, but now he couldn't stop. There was something so terrifyingly stupendous in torturing your body into submission, something absolutely beautiful.  
He could compromise sheer strength with magic. Who needed to have a powerful body if you had an incredible knack for magic? He'd rather be swift with a blade and fierce with a supernatural force than indulge in unnecessary foods.   
His eyes fluttered closed, and he let out a deep breath. His hands held on to the bar in the training room as he swept one leg upwards. He let go of the bar with one hand and grabbed his foot, pulling his leg farther in an attempt to make his legs into a straight, vertical line. After a few seconds of holding this position, he released his leg, slowly bringing it back down to the ground. He repeated the process with his other leg, but black dots swarmed his vision this time. Letting out a frustrated grunt, he quickly brought his leg back down and shut his eyes tight.   
"There you are, my songbird," a gravelly voice hummed. Ghirahim immediately dropped to a knee, cursing under his breath as his leg hit the ground a little too hard.  
"Master..." He trailed off, not knowing where to go with this conversation. This intrusion was new to him.  
"Stop with that ridiculous formality and get up," Demise huffed. Ghirahim scrambled to his feet and bit the inside of his lip as black dots attacked his vision once more. "Feet together."  
The lower demon felt heat flare up in his cheeks, and he tried to cross his arms over his chest, trying to cover something from that scrutinizing gaze, but the Master gruffly pulled his arms away. There would surely be bruises blossoming on his arms tonight. Demise didn't understand how delicate he was.  
"Too thin," the observation echoed hauntingly through the room, making Ghirahim's pulse quicken. "You're no good to me if you pass out in the middle of battle from malnutrition."  
Ghirahim opened his mouth to reply, but Demise put a hand in the air, signaling for him to stay silent. "How much have you been eating?"  
"Two thousand calories a day," came the automated reply. Demise narrowed his eyes, not really believing his servant.  
"I'm raising your requirement to three thousand calories then. A hard working warrior needs more than the average peasant. I'll be sure to notify staff of this new duty."   
Ghirahim's breathing quickened and his eyes widened. He could practically feel the fat already festering underneath his skin. The Master gently took his hand in his own, flipping it to where the inner wrist was visible. His arm looked pathetically frail in the strong grip of Demise's.  
"Don't disappoint me Ghirahim," he threatened, before leaving.  
The other breathed a sigh of relief as the unwanted company left. As if nothing had happened, he went back to practicing until his lifts, pirouettes, and turns were perfectly landed every time.  
He practiced a little longer every night, and ate less and less, never minding what the Master said.   
He wanted everything to be perfect before the big day came.  
He needed everything to be perfect, no matter the cost.


	2. Sweet Company

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nintendo would be cringing if they knew how OOC I was making their characters.

200 Years Later

Sunlight kissed his pale skin as his eyes narrowed. He hadn't expected a mere boy to progress this fast. He would be at the temple in no time.  
The demon lord also hadn't expected Hylia's savior to be human. He knew, of course, that some sort of peoples created by the damned goddess would be after the girl he needed. But he never thought it'd be a human (and a human child at that!).

A few beads of sweat rolled down from his forehead, and he wiped them away before they could get into and sting his eyes. Ghirahim could have just waited in the cool, but dank, temple for the boy to eventually wander in, but following behind him was so much more interesting. Every time the boy would trip over a root or accidentally stumble into a a hive of bees, he'd snicker under his breath. How did Hylia think that this child could beat him?

He did, however, have to give this human some credit for his sheer beauty. The demon lord had only seen a few humans before, and that was before Demise was sealed away. The few humans he had seen were typically older and quite wizened due to being thrown in a dungeon. So to see one like this, was surprising at the least.  
As he leaned forwards a little bit more to better see the hero, a twig snapped under his weight, and the Hylian turned around quickly. Ghirahim ducked back behind the tree, hoping the boy would just think his ears had tricked. There was no such luck for the demon lord.

The boy's eyes were narrowed, and he placed a hand around the hilt of his sword. Ghirahim could hear footsteps getting closer to his hiding spot, and he held his breath.  
Honestly, he had nothing to worry about. If need be, he could just kill the human boy right here and now. His own strength was surely the greater of the two. But all of his pathetic life, he had trained for this day. He had worked on countless combat techniques and strategies to end the life of this mortal in the temple. It just didn't seem right to end this journey so early.

Plus, he had made so many personal sacrifices to make this day and battle between them absolutely perfect. He had risked everything to be perfect for this day. He had fasted and puked so much that is was only a matter of luck that he had survived to see this day. Not to mention, he had taken up rather... Impractical methods to make sure he never slacked off during training. He wanted this boy to be in awe of him as he plunged his sword repeatedly through the hero's body until the boy was soaked in crimson.

So when the boy almost came upon to where he cowered, the demon lord whisked himself away with a flurry of dark magic. He reasoned it would be better to just wait here in the temple anyways.

\---

There was a long pause. "Link."

It was an unusual name for a human. The word had demonic roots, coming from one of the earliest civilizations built by Demise. However, the demon lord couldn't dwell on that fact for too terribly long.

"So Link, do you prefer to die at the end of my sword, or would you rather me snap your neck? It really doesn't bother me in the slightest," Ghirahim sadistically babbled.  
He saw the boy- Link -unsheathe his sword, and he couldn't help the grin that came over him. "Did you really just draw your sword. Do you realize who I am?"

"An overconfident bastard?" Link sarcastically guessed, causing Ghirahim to narrow his eyes.

"Not quite," the demon growled, "I'm Demon Lord Ghirahim, more commonly known as the reason for your death."

The demon folded his arms across his chest, and took languid strides towards the younger male. At this, a look of worry mixed with confusion swept swept across Link's features. The hero took a few steps backwards, not letting the distance between them decline. He didn't understand why his enemy wasn't drawing a weapon. However, his train of thought was broken as he accidentally backed himself up against a wall.

Ghirahim snapped his fingers, teleporting in from of the other before the boy could run away. He quickly grabbed Link's left wrist, prying it down, so he would drop his sword. "Lesson one, Hero: Never trap yourself between a wall and your enemy," Ghirahim lowly hissed.

Not giving the other much time to react to his statement, he retracted a fist and punched the boy square in the face. Despite his lithe frame, the demon packed enough force into the hit that he could feel the other's nose break beneath his fist. A small tide of crimson flowed down Link's face and stained his glove.   
Despite the small victory, Ghirahim felt no satisfaction. It had been too easy. He had expected this to be a fair battle, him against a trained warrior. Instead, he got a mere child who had probably never held a sword before this. Just from looking at his build, it was obvious he was inexperienced in combat. Muscles from training were just only starting to develop. Despite his frustrations at the unfair battle, he hit the sky child again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

Until, he felt the boy beneath him stop struggling. He let go of the hero, and watched him collapse onto the ground. He was still breathing but only barely hanging on to consciousness. Blood slowly trickled from his broken nose and busted lip down to his neck, where it spilled onto the floor.

Ghirahim raised an eyebrow as blue eyes defiantly blinked rapidly for a second, before the boy clumsily sat up. He wasn't as weak as the demon had thought. Link wiped his mouth off on the back of his hand and turned his attention up to the demon in front of him. Then, the hero laughed and Ghirahim just stared on in confusion.  
"Of course the anorexic freak is still stronger than me," Link exclaimed, still bubbling with chaotic laughter.

Ghirahim kneeled down in front of the boy, waiting for his laughter to cease. When that didn't happen, he slapped him. The hero grew quiet at the subtle sting, fear quickly returning to him. "You're lucky that I'm not going to kill you right here and now," the demon lord snarled. "But if you ever care to call me that again, I will not hesitate to snuff out the pathetic existence of your life. Do you hear me?"

Link nodded quickly, and Ghirahim sickly smiled. "Good boy," he purred, running the back of his gloved hand down the side of the boy's face.   
The hero flinched at the contact, and tried not to gag as he felt his own blood smear across his face. Ghirahim finally retracted his hand, grimacing at the pinkness of his once ivory glove.

"You know," the voice startled the demon lord as he stood up, "if we weren't enemies, you'd actually be rather attractive."

For once, the great Demon Lord Ghirahim was speechless, heat rushing up his neck. Link grinned devilishly, his confidence returning at the reaction he received, proud of himself that he has been right. He had found the demon lord's weakness.

Suddenly, he looked forward to their next battle.


	3. Bitter Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which, Ghirahim reflects over the prior day's events

Ghirahim rolled over onto his side, back facing the open window as sunlight glared in. He really didn't want to get up. No matter how much he slept of rested, he was always exhausted.

Letting out a yawn, he slowly pushed himself off the bed into a sitting position. His hair was a sight to behold, sticking up in every possible direction, and the dark circles under his eyes seemed worse than normal. There was no doubt in his mind that these were just the consequences of achieving perfection.

A slight headache pounded at his temples, causing the demon lord to let out a small groan. He clumsily swung his legs over to the side of the bed and made to get up, but fell back down on his rear, shouting a string of profanities. Littered on the floor was broken glass, and he had had the delight of stepping on one of the jagged pieces.

Ghirahim's eyebrows furrowed together, wondering why broken glass was on his floor in the first place. His eyes scanned the deep red shards before widening in realization. It was the smashed pieces of a wine bottle. As his headache continued to assault him, he realized that he was hungover. The demon lord couldn't recall the events that took place last night after the battle, but he could remember that they weren't exactly pretty.

With another groan, he tried to push himself off the bed but instead let out a small whimper as his arms stung like crazy. Almost afraid to took down, he found himself tensely gazing at the bandages wrapped around his left arm from his elbow down to his wrist. He could clearly see red along the inside of his arm, and he quickly made to unwrapping the gauze. Inch by inch, he uncovered the bloody mess that he had made of himself last night. Jagged slashes criss crossed over the pale skin, hiding the silver scars that had been etched on his arm. It had been so long since he had done something this monumentally stupid.

His fangs worried at his bottom lip as he sat on the edge of his bed, not knowing what to do. It was a hollow, unsatisfying emotion that jarred him. The great demon lord always knew what to do and when to do it. But today, all motivation had left him along with the memories of what had happened the previous night.

A bead of sweat dripped down to his brow as he froze in mid-pose, perfecting his stance. He should've been traveling to Eldin, trying to get his hands on the spirit maiden, but he couldn't. The boy's words kept replaying through his head like a broken record.

"If we weren't enemies, you'd actually be attractive..."

It was the closest anyone had come to calling him beautiful, even if the words meant nothing. He knew that child was just trying to pick out an insecurity of his to use it against him in battle, but yet he couldn't stop replaying the scene in his head.

For years, he had tried to perfect his body to his every whim, but everyone just called him sick. They said he was too thin. They said he needed to put on some weight. They said he was ugly.

But they were dead now.

"You anorexic freak!" 

He went to perform another leap but stumbled. He hated that scene from their battle. The words clashed in Link's mouth, and contorted his pretty lips. No, the demon lord had not enjoyed when the boy had said that.

He stopped, trapped in thought now. He faced one of the mirrored walls and really looked at himself. His bones jutted out clearly against his skin that was merely stretched out against his frame. His legs never touched, the dark circles under his eyes had become even more pronounced, and his lips were always chapped and split. Yet, his eyes could only focus on the fat on his body. He wanted it off. Then, everything would be perfect. Then, he'd be beautiful.

Then, maybe that taunt that came from Link's lips would be sincere.

He breathed out slowly before deciding to cease his training for the night. He made his way out of the room, feet heavy with exhaustion.  
He did not snap until he got in the bathroom.

He splashed cold water on his face, foundation running off into the sink beneath him. His eyes dared to dart up to the mirror as his own skin was visible. Tiny blemishes, some of them scars, were scattered haphazardly on his face. He hated how weak he looked. He could just imagine what his foe would say if he saw him without the makeup.

"You're disgusting..."

The words ripped through his gut and he quickly dashed over to the toilet, bent over. The words, of course, had never actually been spoken by his enemy, but Ghirahim was too mentally damaged to assure himself. He heaved over the toilet, nothing ever actually came up. 

A small whimper came from his body as his empty heaves subsides, leaving him with a sore stomach and throat. He clumsily got back up, stumbling back over to the cabinet beneath the sink. His usually nimble hands were now shaking as he yanked open the drawer. Various bottles of alcohol sat in the dusty compartment. It was surely an unusual place for someone to keep their booze, but this was the place Ghirahim always seemed to need it.

He chose a bottle of burgundy wine that was already half empty and bit off the top. He slowly sank to sit on the tiled floor, with the bottle snuggly in his hands. For the first few seconds, he just stared at the potent liquid and the way it sloshed in the glass as he shook, trying to reason with himself. However, it was to no avail.

Soon enough, the neck of the bottle was between his lips as he drank the strong liquid down. For someone so small, he had an abnormally large tolerance for alcohol. But as the last of the alcohol ran down his throat, he was drunk. Ghirahim didn't get drunk often, because it wasn't proper for a lord, but here he was in his bathroom, blubbering about some stupid, but beautiful, boy that just wanted to ruin his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry that updates are so slow on here. I literally already have three more chapters written and published on my Wattpad. I might just go ahead and upload all of them on here today, instead of spacing them out and making you guys wait.


	4. Sucker for Pain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very shitty chapter tbh

He held the small cigarette in his hand gently, giving it a little tap. At the contact, one end of it caught fire, and Ghirahim let out a contented hum. He didn't know what he'd do without magic. But honestly, the demon had grown a little too dependent on sorcery, and Eldin was revealing that. A demon's capability to produce great amounts of magic was significantly reduced in heat.

The cigarette dangled precariously from his lips as he treaded slowly on, wishing that he could just teleport himself to the temple. Smoking had been a dirty habit of the demon's for a while, and he couldn't remember when or why he had tried it for the first time. But now, it was part of his daily routine. Smoking didn't damage demonic bodies as badly as it would a mere mortal per say, but with Ghirahim's already tortured body, it definitely came with some consequences.

Not to mention, whenever he had to strain his left arm, it burned like hell. If he had the unfortunate luck of meeting Link in battle today, the demon honestly didn't know who would come out the victor.

As if Hylia herself was making sure that Ghirahim failed at his mission, the demon heard a string of profanities come from his right. As he snapped his head towards the familiar voice, his cigarette fell from it's place and sizzled against the scorching ground. He let out a sigh of annoyance before returning his full attention back to the noise.

The demon narrowed his eyes as he saw a flicker of green quickly move behind one of the numerous boulders. He wasn't sure if the other had seen him or not, but he wasn't willing to take any chances. He soundlessly strode over to the boulder and hauled himself to the top of it to peek over. The not yet healed injuries of his arm were quick to tear at the strain and he silently seethed.

Once he sat atop the rock, Ghirahim was very quick to deduce that the boy had not seen him. It looked like the hero had instead ducked behind the boulder at the sight of a puddle. He was now hunched over the miniature body of water, filling a couple of his empty bottles. Apparently, demons weren't the only creatures affected by heat.

As he was about to hop off the large rock and be on his merry way, the demon lord made the mistake of putting all his weight on his left arm, and this time a very audible hiss escaped him. The hero dropped his glass and snapped his gaze towards the demon lord. They awkwardly locked eyes for a few seconds, like a deer staring into a car's headlights. Only one thought ran itself through Ghirahim's mind.

Uh-oh.

Breaking the tense silence, Link hurriedly stood up and whipped his sword out of his sheath. As an immediate response, Ghirahim threw himself off of the Boulder and started sprinting. Much to his dismay, he could hear the other right behind him.

The demon lord frantically kept snapping his fingers, trying to teleport himself out of this mess, but he knew he was far too weak in this blistering heat to do such a spell. It was only a matter of time before his stamina gave out in his current predicament.

He cast a glance behind him to see how much distance was between them, and accidentally caught his foot on a small rock. The demon lord let out an undignified yelp as he fell face first into the ground. He scrambled onto his other side, trying to push himself off of the ground, but Link all but pounced on top of him.

"Are you really so pathetic as to try and kill me when my back's turned?" Link snarled, anger brimming in his cold eyes.  
Ghirahim knew that he was beat, so he quickly said a prayer to a God that he didn't believe in and slipped into his normal, overconfident facade.

"No," he stated, rolling the word off of his tongue. "Why would I need to kill such a weak enemy behind their back?"

Link shifted his weight on top of Ghirahim, probably preparing a witty comeback of his own, but his left knee now jarringly pressed into his foe's left arm. From the sheer surprise of the pain, the demon lord let out a cry. Confused, Link changed his gaze to now face the arm, covered by Ghirahim's long, white glove.

"Injured arm?" Link asked with a full smirk on his face. He sadistically dug his knee harder into the arm, causing Ghirahim to bite down on his lip and hit the back of his head against the ground. "I guess so," the boy answered to his own question.

As he made a move to grab the arm, Ghirahim violently flipped himself onto his hands and knees, succeeding in throwing Link off of. However, the boy quickly grabbed an ankle and yanked him back into the ground, knocking the wind out of him. The fact that the demon couldn't see what Link was doing anymore as the boy straddled his backside scared him a little, but he would never admit it.

"Well," Ghirahim spat out through gritted teeth, "it was nice seeing you, but if you don't mind, I have places to be."

"How does it feel to have our positions from the last time we fought switched?" The Skychild remarked.

The demon rested his forehead against the hot, dry ground. "Can you hurry this up, or do you just like this position? I always thought you'd be more of a bottom, but maybe you'd rather be on top. But still, this doesn't seem like a position that a child like yourself would pick-"

"Shut up!" Despite the fact that Ghirahim got his head bashed into the rocky ground and was now bleeding from his nose, he couldn't help but to grin. He loved it when his enemies lost their temper. "You would think that seeing how you're at my mercy, you wouldn't be such a smart ass," Link growled.

"Am I supposed to beg for your mercy when this wasn't a fair fight to begin with?" Ghirahim seethed. "I saw you; I ran. I did nothing wrong or to agitate you, and yet you're threatening to kill me. It's obvious you don't have any room in your stone heart for mercy.

Ghirahim felt Link stiffen on top of him, and he knew he had struck a nerve. Hero's were always supposed to do the right thing, and would never attack unless attacked. He let out a breath of air as he felt the other get off of him, and he quickly scrambled to his feet. The demon lord honestly hadn't expected that cheap trick to work.

"Well, thank you for relinquishing your hold on me. I shall be on my way now," Ghirahim sickly apologized, turning on his heel. But he froze in his spot as he heard the other's venomous voice.

"I know you're a horrible person, and I will kill you or die trying. When we cross paths again in some sort of dungeon, you will die," the Skychild swore.

Ghirahim simply threw a smile over his shoulder. "I look forward to that day."


	5. Beautiful Liar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link becomes a lil too evil.

It turned out that the hero and demon would cross paths rather soon, less than a week to be exact. But throughout those grueling days, Ghirahim had lost even more of his energy and strength. He was severely dehydrated, starving, and the heat wasn't helping his condition. Once he got inside of the temple, the temperature only seemed to rise higher and higher as he went further and further into the dungeon.  
And here, in the final room, it was basically simmering. A bead of sweat rolled down his temple as he cursed his foul luck. His hands even had a slight shake to them as he carefully redid the bandages on his left arm before slipping his glove back on.

As he waited for his foe to make an appearance, he practiced some new techniques with his dagger and tried to strengthen some of his weaker spells. But the more he exerted himself, the dizzier he became. Finally, after his vision flickered, he decided to just stretch while he waited.

He slowly walked over to a wall and balanced himself before reaching a foot up onto the wall. He straightened his leg completely and pushed himself closer against the wall until there was no space left, and he had successfully made his legs a straight line that was parallel with the wall. He took a deep breath, relaxing his muscles. In his deep concentration, the demon basically jumped off the wall as the sound of doors opening startled him, but he was quick to regain his composure as his guest entered.

The hero's face immediately fell at the sight of the demon lord and Ghirahim grinned. Apparently, he had left quite the impression on his Skychild.

"Fancy meeting you here," he over-joyously greeted. Link only scowled in response. "Not much of a talker today, are you?"

The swish of a sword being unsheathed was the only answer Ghirahim got. "Very well then, if you have no last words, I'll be happy to show you to your deathbed," he taunted. Then, in a blink of an eye, he disappeared.

It was honestly an overused move on his part. He used it in almost every battle with his enemies, but there was a certain charm to it. No matter how many times it was performed, it always unnerved his enemy. However, as he reappeared behind Link, his strength was waned from conducting so much magic into his first move, especially in his already weakened state. So when he grabbed the other's sword, intending to yank it out of the Skyloftian's grasp, he was only able to indignantly engage in a game of tug of war with Link.

Either he was miserably weak that day or the hero had grown stronger. It was probably a combination of both. Link's grip on the hilt of his sword wouldn't give, and the magic Ghirahim had to use to be able to touch the blade without getting cut was quickly depleting his stamina.  
"Let go of it, you wretched brat," Ghirahim growled, his irritation clearly showing through. He wasn't used to not being stronger than those he despised.

"It's my  sword!" Link exclaimed, disbelief soaking into his voice. "If you want to stab me, get your own!"

Ghirahim's lips drew back into a snarl as he channeled a burst of magic to the sword, hoping it would knock the blade out of Link's hands. The demon's anger kept him from concentrating properly though, and the force of his magic knocked the sword out of both of their grips. They both swiveled their heads to watch as the blade skidded down the stone floor, a tense silence following. The demon was the first to react, and shoved Link backwards before making a run for the sword. 

Ghirahim was almost to the blade when Link harshly bumped into him, sending both of them tumbling to the ground. The demon managed to grab ahold of the hilt with a hand as he landed painfully on his back, but he barely had time to catch his breath as Link accidentally landed on top of him with a small "oof." He tried to hold the sword up to injure the boy, but soon realized there was another hand on the hilt as well.  
"Let go of it," Link spat. The boy was officially fed up and wanted nothing more than to get off of his enemy, but one of them would have to let go of the sword for that to happen.

"Over my dead body," Ghirahim seethed back.

They had an awkward stare down. Their chests were pressed flush together to where they could feel one another breathing, and their legs were tangled together. Finally, Link's hard glare softened, and the demon now had an overwhelming desire to flee from the other. He was not fond of the innocent expression that now covered the other's face. Link leaned forwards to where their noses brushed, and Ghirahim's eyes widened uncomfortably. The demon lord didn't know what the boy was planning, but he didn't like it.

"I was right when I said you were attractive last time," Link whispered. Ghirahim didn't respond, only watched the other warily. "It's a shame all we do is fight." 

The hero gave a barely noticeable tug on the sword and inwardly groaned when he realized it would take much more to distract the male beneath him.

"Can't we do something else?" Link purred, trailing his lips along the other's jawline at the end of his question.

Ghirahim closed his eyes, trying to steady his breathing, now fully aware of what the other was up to. He wasn't stupid; he knew this was a trap. But no matter how much he reasoned with himself, his heart sped up at every false compliment. Link had been able to pick up on his insecurities during their first fight, and didn't mind using them against the demon.

"You're so beautiful," Link breathed out. Ghirahim's eyes flew wide open as he felt the other's free hand trail down his side to his hip to his... Once again, the demon screwed his eyes shut, but this time he couldn't steady his breathing.

Link gave another light tug at the hilt but was faced with the same result. Hiding his disgust, he pushed forward in his game of deceit.  
"Stop," Ghirahim croaked out, immediately hating how his normally confident voice now sounded. Link didn't stop, but kept graciously tending to his foe's most sensitive area.

The demon let out a small pant, and he hated himself for it. He hated how flustered he was, and how excited his body was becoming. He hated how he was growing hard under the hero's touch when he knew that damned bastard meant nothing that he said. He hated this entire situation.

Distracted by his self hatred, Ghirahim's fingers numbly let go of the sword. 

Immediately, Link grabbed his sword and hopped up to his own two feet, preparing to strike the demon beneath him, but Ghirahim was too fast. The demonic creature hurriedly called upon his own rapier as he got up to his feet. His pupils were dilated, and it was very obvious that the hero had managed to get him aroused.

"I will kill you!" Ghirahim screamed before lunging at the boy.

The demon, though his anger, fought furiously and fiercely, but too much emotion clouded his actions and he was messy. His defense was not up to par, and by the end of the fight, most of him was covered in crimson. 

A loud clang echoed through the room as he dropped his own sword and fell down to his knees. His body heaved, trying to get air into his system. He was vulnerable, on the brink of death, but he still managed to glare at the boy above him.

"The next time we meet, you will die. I will kill you," Ghirahim promised. Link only smirked back at him.

With what little energy he had left, he willed his magic to teleport him away. Ghirahim was able to get himself just out of the temple, but he could only take a few more shaky steps before he collapsed, slipping into unconsciousness.


	6. Mutual Pining

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for some sexual content

He wanted to go to Skyloft. He didn't know when this particular need or wanting developed, but it was most definitely there. What was the hero up to when he wasn't fighting monsters on the Surface? Maybe, the fierce need to know gripped him when he realized that the boy had bandaged him after their fight. Or maybe, the need had festered under his skin that following night when he realized the boy had to of seen the scars.

Ghirahim let out a low sigh at the thought. What would the hero think now? That he was weak? The thoughts in his head echoed hauntingly around the empty room. His reflection from one of the mirror covered walls stared dismally back at him from sleep deprived eyes. He quickly averted his gaze elsewhere as his chest heaved from exertion and beads of sweat trailed down his body.

There was a time when ballet hadn't taken this much out of him when he practiced. He had originally taken up the sport as a means to enhance his balance and agility, but that had been back when he favored muscles over bones. Now, it was something that grounded him, reminded him of why he was doing this. Yet today, as he looked at his frail figure in the mirror, he felt a fragment of guilt stab through him as he recalled the note's words. It was the first time in forever the thought that maybe he was too skinny flickered into his mind.

\---

"Master Link, I highly advise that you travel to Lanayru soon," his sword spirit chimed. Her monotonous voice barely broke over the howl of wind in his hometown.

"Tomorrow," Link grunted as he struggled to open the academy's door with a fairly large pumpkin in his arms. Thankfully, Pipit saw his struggle and came to his rescue.

"I'm pretty sure Halloween was over a couple months ago, Link," the older boy snickered as he held the door open for the other.  
"It's not for me. Karane's doing some sort of research project for her final year here, and she asked me to pick this up for her," the Skyloftian explained.

Pipit turned a little bit pink as he hurriedly offered, "I can take it to her for you!"

Link let out a small smile and held the pumpkin out to Pipit. "Only if you want to," he mused. Instantly, the brunet had taken the pumpkin and hurried down the hallway, causing Link to snicker as he made his way to his own room.

The worn wooden door creaked gingerly as Link entered his own room, and the boy grimaced, making a mental note to fix that later. He undid his bracers and fingerless gloves, setting them down on his desk. He got a warning chime from Fi as he took off the rest of his equipment, but shot the sword a glare. 

"Tomorrow," he stated again, leaving no room for debate.

He tugged off his green tunic and finally got rid of the irksome chainmail that had been weighing him down. He let out a contented sigh as he kicked off his boots and flopped down onto his bed. It felt as if it had been forever since he had just worn pants and his undershirt without pouches or a hilt strapped across his back. However, guilt almost instantly washed over him as he cast a sideway glance back at his sword. He should be looking for Zelda right now, not lying in bed. He tugged at a lock of his own blond hair as he debated whether to continue his search now or not. He just really didn't want to run into that demon again.

He remembered their first fight and how Ghirahim had basically beaten him to a bloody pulp. He remembered how terrified he had felt as the demon knelt over him, yet Ghirahim didn't kill him. He let him run free for the time being. It had confused Link, but at their second battle he had put the pieces of the puzzle together.

But even more frustrating about the demon lord wasn't his nature in combat, it was how he acted out of their battles that unnerved Link. He had first called the older man anorexic as a jibe, but the hero realized soon enough that maybe he had struck closer to home than he had intended.

Link let out a frustrated groan as he recalled all the events that had transpired between them. He was utterly confused as how to approach the other, so he tended to be extremely cruel and lash out when they met. He wondered what would happen if there was a time that they met that he tried to diffuse the situation instead of bitterly egging Ghirahim on. Would he be able to figure out what was going on in the other's demented mind, or would Ghirahim run away thinking that Link's friendliness was just a trap?

\---

He let out a shaky gasp, one hand pressed against the slick glass for support. The hot water that poured down from the shower overhead did nothing to calm his body. He bit into his other hand that wasn't clinging to the shower.

Link...

It was safe to say his infatuation was anything less than professional. A groan spilt from his lips as he removed his hand from his mouth.  
He could almost feel the imaginary tug at his hair from the blond as he would drop to his knees. He'd never break eye contact with the other as he took him into his mouth, so he'd be able to see those positively lewd expressions the other made.

The demon's pupils dilated as continued to imagine his fantasy, finally taking himself into his hand, needing to get off.

\---

"Nngh..." The hero threw his head back against his pillow, biting into a finger to try and muffle some of the noises he was making. After all, Fledge could be studying or trying to sleep in the room beside his.

His toes curled against the bed as he quickened his pace, knowing his peak was quickly approaching. He bit harder onto his finger, probably bruising it as images flashed through his head.

Ghirahim riding him.

His own hips thrusting into the demon as he clung to Link for support.

How flushed the other male's face would be as he looked at the hero.

A small cry escaped Link as his back arched off of his bed when he hit his climax. His body collapsed back onto the bed and his breathing came out labored in heavy pants. After he came down from his post, the hero would be too embarrassed to do anything except for burying his face into the blankets. But for now, he was content to drift off.


	7. The Bird That Could Fly

He was in Skyloft, and he wasn't sure that this was such a good idea anymore. He had no plan when he decided to come up to the village, so now he aimlessly wandered around under the moonlight. Life up here was so different from the Surface that he had come to know and love.  
A chill had set to his very core, making him shiver. Skyloft was a quaint, little village, but very windy. And at night, absolutely freezing. He hugged his mantle closer to himself as his hair whipped at his face. But despite the chill that spread through him, Ghirahim decided that this was the warmest place that he had ever observed. 

Houses of varying shapes and sizes dotted the land. Night had just fell, so lights still flickered behind windows and children were just now being ushered into their homes. It seemed everywhere the demon lurked, he saw happy families getting ready for the night. The warmness of the scenes steadily dampened his mood, and he wished to get this uninvited visit over with.

He wanted to know more about Link, but his search for any sort of hint into the boy's life was fruitless. It seemed that maybe the boy wasn't exactly popular in this town, but didn't he at least have a family?

After about an hour more of his pitiful search, the demon lord gave up on his side quest and decided to return to the land below. He slowly made his way to one of the diving platforms, casting a single glance upwards. He was probably illuminated under the moon's light, but he honestly didn't care if anyone could see him at the moment; he was too frustrated that he hadn't found anything out about the hero. His toes dangled over the edge of the platform, and he noticed how worn the wood was. It looked so fragile in the dim light. His eyes trailed past the wood and were fixated on the cloud barrier as he held his breath. 

What would happen if he just...

Fell?

Everything started to blur together in his eyes, images racing through his mind. Yet, as he let his body teeter over the edge, everything went silent, except for the wind whistling in his ears. Eventually, his eyes started to water. He wasn't sure if that was from the wind whipping at his face or something else.

The cloud barrier suddenly grew closer, and he squeezed his eyes shut tightly. The demon mentally prepared himself for the freezing and wet sensation that would soon come. However, that torturous sensation never did come. Instead, a high pitched whistle pierced the night, and then he felt his body land on something else, temporarily knocking the wind out of him.

It took him a moment to realize he was on something solid. When he did recover, he opened his eyes as he wheezed, trying to get oxygen back through his system that had been knocked out of him through the impact. The first thing he saw was crimson. But as his gaze traveled further, steely, blue eyes met the gaze of his own pathetic, brown ones.

"I swear if you jump off of the loftwing, I will not catch you again," the hero gruffly warned. Ghirahim's eyes widened as he realized what had caught him, and he white-knuckled the bird's vibrant feathers, now quite afraid of falling. However, an irritated squawk left the majestic beast at that action. 

After a moment, Link resignedly added, "You'd probably be more secure if you wrapped your arms around me instead of causing him discomfort."

Ghirahim blinked before hesitantly moving close to the hero and doing as he was told. He felt the boy tense beneath his touch, then relax once more. However, an awkward silence quickly filled the space between them. "So did you have a suicide wish?"

"Something like that," Ghirahim sighed. Muttering the next part under his breath, "Why is it that you're always the one that saves me?"

"Hmm?"

"Nothing," Ghirahim coolly answered, not wanting to confront the boy quite yet.

"Why were you in Skyloft to begin with?" Link accused, the first hints of bitterness starting to drip into his voice. Despite his moment of casualness, the hero was slipping into the facade he wore that Ghirahim knew only too well. He leaned further against Link, mouth at his ear. 

"To murder you in your sleep," he purred. He felt Link immediately tense up again, and he had to try and keep the offense out of his voice. "Oh come on Skychild, I thought you'd know that I'd never try and kill my enemy in their sleep. I only fight fair battles."

"Then, why were you in Skyloft?" Link persistently asked again.

"Why did you heal me after our last battle?" He questioned back. Link finally looked back at Ghirahim again with narrowed eyes.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he firmly stated.

"I'm not dumb, Link," was the only response Ghirahim gave back to him. Link averted his gaze for a few seconds.

"I don't know," he finally answered. 

Again, silence grew thick between them as unanswered questions flitted through their minds. He didn't know how long they had been flying. Maybe half an hour? But Ghirahim finally realized that Link was just flying lazy circles around Skyloft, not making any attempt to actually land somewhere.

"Are you planning on keeping me up here all night?" The demon wryly joked. Link only shook his head in response.

Ghirahim gasped as they suddenly increased speed, heading towards the island, and he subconsciously tightened his grip on the other. Luckily for him, the sensation was soon over as the loftwing finally landed. Link slipped off the bird and he followed suit right before the giant creature let out another squawk and flew off.

"You never really answered me," Link began, but he was walking off, so Ghirahim had to catch up to hear him. "Why are you here?"

The demon only slightly contemplated the question as they walked towards a two story building. "In truth, I was trying to learn a little more about where you came from," Ghirahim admitted.

Link stopped, hand frozen on the door handle that he had been about to turn and open. As he turned his head to face the demon, Ghirahim realized that the hero wasn't wearing his usual green tunic. Instead, he had on a baggy cream shirt adorned with loose fitted tan pants. He looked more relaxed without his usual gear.

"You wanted to learn a little more about me?" Link echoed which the demon just nodded to. "Like what?"

"Like if you were as cynical up here as you are on the battlefield."

"Of course not," the hero incredulously scoffed. He slipped through the door, barely leaving it open enough for the demon to pass through as well.

Link cast a glance back over his shoulder, almost surprised to see the demon had followed him into the building but not quite. Ghirahim curiously looked around as he followed the boy. The place seemed to be some sort of school. They quietly padded by rooms, and the demon read the names along them as they went until he got to a certain one.

Zelda.

He stopped as everything suddenly clicked in his brain. It had been so blatantly obvious that the demon lord should have already known this, yet he felt completely dumbfounded. The hero and the spirit maiden grew up together, probably friends since childhood.

"Don't worry. She's not in there. You don't need to bust the door down to get her," Link whispered, not wanting to wake anyone.

"No, that's not why I-" However, Link was already walking again, so he gave up trying to explain himself.

After they made their way up a case of stair (with only minimal creak-age) the hero stopped abruptly at a door, and Ghirahim almost ran into him.

"Don't you have somewhere you need to be?" The question caught Ghirahim off guard for a second.

"Not really. Well, I probably should continue looking for that girl soon," the demon admitted.

Link bristled at the answer but quietly entered the room nonetheless. It was only then that the demon read the little plaque beside the door and realized that this was the hero's bedroom. He redirected his gaze back to the door and found that Link had barely left it ajar. It was neither an invitation nor a rejection. Hesitantly, Ghirahim found himself entering the room.

Link was sitting on the edge of a bed, seemingly cautious due to the fact that he and his supposed foe were together in such a small room. The demon's eyes wandered over to a desk and he sat in the chair beside it. A flash of annoyance crossed the hero's face at this, but Ghirahim couldn't decipher why.

"Why are you here?" Ghirahim furrowed his eyebrows.

"I already told you why-"

Link let out an exasperated sigh. "I meant, why are you still here?" The demon lord didn't answer. "Is there something you want?"

"What are you talking about?" Ghirahim asked.

"Never mind," Link said as he shifted in his position, crossing his legs.

Another awkward silence soon pursued until Link flinched even though nothing touched him. Ghirahim watched him warily as the younger rubbed at his neck. As the hero lowered his hand, he quietly explained, "I must've slept wrong last night. I've had a kink in my neck, and it's been bothering me all day."

A small "oh" escaped the demon lip's before he got up and walked towards the bed. He felt Link's untrusting stare as he sat down beside the other.

"Here?" He asked, trailing a finger along where Link had been rubbing. The boy nodded.

Ghirahim massaged the area, letting his other hand rest on the boy's shoulder. He felt Link slowly relax beneath him, but the demon grew concerned. The other's skin felt quite hot to the touch.

"Are you sick? You feel feverish," he muttered, but Link persistently shook his head.

"N-no, I'm fine!" He stammered. Ghirahim took note of the hero's peculiar behavior but didn't press anymore.

Once he was sure Link's neck was fine, he absentmindedly slipped both of his hands down to the boy's shoulders. The hero leaned into the touch, but soon the demon felt a hand on top of one of his own. Link directed the hand under his shirt to his side, shortly doing the same with the other. The demon swore he saw the hero's face quickly grow red, but Link turned his head away before he could be certain. Ghirahim chose not to ask questions and kneaded the skin there instead. Again, Link moved his hands. This time, he directed them over his stomach.   
"Are you sure you're fine? I seriously don't think it's healthy for your body to be this warm," Ghirahim asked again.

"I assure you that a fever has nothing to do with how hot I'm feeling right now," Link all but cried out. After that, it took less than two seconds for the demon to realize what was happening. His hands were suddenly off of Link as the other turned around to face him.   
"You asked me why I didn't let you die earlier, and the real answer is that I couldn't bear the thought of you dying yet. You're the most frustrating person I've met, and I couldn't let you be gone with so many unanswered questions left," the hero explained. However, a cold dread started to seep into the demon's veins at that one carefully chosen word.

Yet.

However, Ghirahim didn't dwell on that one word for too terribly long. The Skychild was sitting in front of him, holding his wrists. They were too close. It made the demon's head swim a little.

"Can I kiss you?" The question rolled eagerly off of the blond's tongue. Ghirahim nodded, too surprised at the rather sudden turn of events to vocalize an answer.

Link was hesitant, not awkward, but hesitant. There was a heavy second of nothing, faces so close their noses almost bumped, before the hero's eyes fluttered closed, and he leaned in. The boy's grasp on the other's wrists grew slack when their lips met, and he quickly pulled away. His blue eyes averted their gaze downwards, a heavy blush settling on the boy's cheeks. 

"Was that okay?" Ghirahim marveled at how cute the hero was currently, but a terrible thought dawned on him.

"You're not a sub, are you?" The question caught the hero off guard, making him get even redder.

"No," Link began, gaining a little confidence, "I thought you would know that from the last time we battled." In truth, the demon lord figured he wouldn't be one for the exact reason, but he needed to make sure.

"Just checking," he mused out loud. A small smirk was beginning to play at the hero's lips as he leaned in to kiss Ghirahim again, this time not pulling away.

If the demon lord was to describe the kiss in one word, it would be warm. He could feel the hero's chest rise and fall as he breathed against his. The other's hands lingered at the back of his neck, not letting him go. He could feel Link's warmth all over. As the boy pressed against him more, now tangling his gains into silver hair, it caught the demon lord off guard, toppling them over at the unexpected weight.  
As Ghirahim's back hit the bed with Link now laying flush on top of him, they broke apart. A smile played at the hero's lips before he laughed a little. And Goddesses, the boy's laughter was the sound of a sunny day, with just enough overcast to mist rain. The demon wanted to hear more of it.

"I'm sorry. I guess I got a little excited," he snickered, lazily running a finger over a defined collar bone. Ghirahim swore he stopped breathing just at the feather light touch. "But I do want this off now."

It took a moment for the demon to comprehend that Link was talking about his shirt. But once he did, he helped rid of it as much as one can when there's a person laying on top of you.

As he lay there under those scrutinizing  eyes, the demon lord couldn't help but to suddenly feel self conscious. He could feel the fat pooling on his body from where he had actually choked down food earlier.

"Hey," the word came out gentle. "Stop thinking. You're beautiful to me." Link had his hands sprawled over the demon's stomach as he sat up, straddling his hips. How the demon lord had yearned for Link to call him that when the hero wasn't just toying with him, and it had actually happened now.

Link was tracing his hands from the demon's chest down over his stomach. A quiet uneasiness spread throughout the boy as his fingers glided over each protruded rib, but he chose not to say anything for the time being. Those negative thoughts were  swept away as his hands passed over the waistband of Ghirahim's pants. The material of his pants  wan't exactly loose, and Link could tell his enemy was already half hard. A low hiss came from the demon as the hero groped him through the cloth. He watched with amused eyes as two gloved hand fumbled with pushing the hilt of his pants down.

"Nuh uh," Link shook his head, lightly grabbing the hands. "I'll give you a proper handjob if you take the gloves off first." Ghirahim looked hesitantly up at him, debating in his mind.

"Fine," he finally huffed out, slipping the gloves off. Link was struck frozen again at all the old and new scars scattered up the other's arms, but he didn't want to make Ghirahim feel any more self conscious than he already did.

The hero gave a quick "be right back" before scurrying off the bed. He quickly opened the single drawer on his desk, retrieving lube and a condom. Before he climbed back up as well, he took off his own shirt and pants, only donning a pair of briefs. The demon got the hint and took off his pants as well. He could feel Ghirahim's tentative eyes on him now as he reclaimed his spot, picking up where he left off.  
"I'm surprised you're already this hard when I've yet to touch you," Link purred, finally wrapping a hand around the base of Ghirahim's cock. The hero mentally chuckled at the irony in his words, feeling his own hard on pressed against his inner thigh.  
"Shush," the demon half heartedly muttered, too distracted to say much more. 

His toes curled against the sheets as the hero's hand lovingly stroked up and down his length, slick with precum. As Link's pace grew faster, thumb occasionally toying with the tip, Ghirahim felt himself moving his hips upwards. He was so close...

And then, Link pulled his hand away, eliciting a groan from the male beneath him. He grinned when the demon gave him a desperate look and held the bottle of lube up. As he poured some into his hands, he got off of Ghirahim's legs and let the other spread them for him. The hero rubbed a lubed finger at Ghirahim's entrance, sending him a questioning glance.

"Have you done this before?" He asked.

"Yeah," Ghirahim breathed out, head falling back into the pillow when he felt the finger gingerly enter him.

The demon's back arched as the hero shallowly thrusted the digit in and out of him. After a few moments of that teasing pace, Link added another finger. This time as he stretched the demon lord, he searched further until he pressed against a certain spot and her a cry from the other. He pressed against it harder this time, drawing an actual moan from Ghirahim. He kept teasing the older male, applying different pressures and rubbing at the spot until he received a plea.

"Link," Ghirahim groaned. "Now." The desperation in the voice went straight to Link's arousal, and he couldn't even bring himself to make his supposed for beg.

He quickly rid of his boxers and opened the condom package, rolling it onto himself. He hooked one of the demon lord's legs over his shoulder and positioned himself.

It was incredibly difficult to not buck into the heat of the other and immediately sheath himself, once he started pushing himself into the tightness. But for Ghirahim's sake he took it slow, and even let the other adjust once he was fully in. Only after the demon gave a small nod did he allow himself to thrust into that small body. The pace originally started out slow but quickly grew harder and more erratic at the other's whimpers and moans of approval.

"Link, nngh," Ghirahim would trail off before shouting his name at each sharp thrust. 

The hero rewarded him by jacking off his already dripping cock, overwhelming the demon's senses. From the teasing earlier, it wasn't long before he reached his orgasm, cum shooting into Link's hand. The Skyloftian wasn't much better, hitting his own climax after a few more jarring thrusts. Both male's stilled, their heavy breathing the only noise in the quiet room. It was in that moment a soft knocking sounded at Link's door.

"Link, are you having another nightmare? Do you need me to come in?" Fledge's voice tentatively asked.

"No!" Link shot back in panic, causing Ghirahim to erupt in laughter when they heard the other boy retreat.

"Shut up, you," Link fondly chastised, leaning down to capture Ghirahim's lips in another kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This'll be the last chapter for a lil while


End file.
